Sash-fastener



(No Model.)

J. C. HOWE.

I SASH FASTENER.

Patented Mar. 24. 1891.

7 E *mmq x I NiTED TATES JOHN C. HOWE, OF VOROESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

SASH-FASTEN'ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,882, dated March24, 1891.

Application filed July 17, 1890. Serial No. 359,078. (No model.)

To all whom it 72mg concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN C. HOWE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Worcester, in the county of \Vorcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Sash-Governors, of wh chthe following is a specification.

Devices have heretofore been made that are especially adapted tosupporting the windows of railway-cars by a bolt that is projected by aspring and retracted byalever, and in some instances a beveled strip hasbeen made use of upon one edge of a sash to press the sash outwardly andcause the same to set firmly and bind against the rabbet of the frame.

My improvement is adapted to supporting the window-sash at any desiredelevation and to so tightening it in the frame thereof as to make itfirm and to exclude dust, yet when the supporting device is drawn backthe sash shall be free and may be loose or have sufficient play withinthe frame to move freely up or down, thus avoiding the difficultiesheretofore experienced from the sash sticking or binding within theframe, especially under the changes due to atmospheric influences.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the sash supporting catchwith its ease in section, part of the window-sash and frame being shownin this figure. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view at theline 0:00. Fig.3isa detached view of the racleplate, and Fig. 4 represents amodification of the supporting-plate upon the sash-frame. Fig. 5 is asection at the line y g of the rack-plate, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is anelevation of the latch detached.

The latch A is received within the case B, and such case B is adapted tobeing screwed or otherwise fastened upon or let into the\vindow-sasli,'ancl it is box-shaped, so as to receive the latch and theparts that give motion to the same. This latch A is provided with aT-head and horns or projections 2, sliding within the latch-case, andthere are studs 3, around which are expansive helical springs at, thatserve to project the latch when not otherwise acted upon, and thesestuds 3 may project through the back edge of the box or case when thelatch is retracted, and there is a pin or pivot 5 for the two levers Oand D, which levers are bent or angular, so that the shorter ends 6 actagainst the projections or horns 2, and when the levers O and D arepressed toward each other the latch A is withdrawn bodily, and when thepressure upon the levers O and D is released the latch A is projected bythe springs 4. The end of this latehA is beveled, as seen in Fig. 2,thelonger flat side of the latch coming next to the sash and the bevelbeing at the end, the object of this construction being to cause thebevel of the latch to act as a wedge to press the sash E forward againstthe rabbet 7 of the sash-frame, and I provide upon the stop-bead F arack-plate G, in which notches are cut of a width sufficient forreceiving the beveled end A of the latch, and these notches areatsuitable or convenient distances apart vertically, so as to supportthe sash when the latch A passes into either one of the notches in therack-plate. This rack-plate G, as shown in Fig. 2, is applied upon theface of the stopbead F and atright angles to the sash E; but suchrack-plate may be applied upon the inner face of the stop-bead F andparallel with and adjacent to the inner surface of the sash. It is nowto be understood that the beveled end of the latch A acts like a wedgebetween the rack-plate G and the sash to force the sash outwardlyagainst the rabbet 70f the window-frame, and thereby render the sashtight against such rabbet, and there may be considerable looseness ofthe sash in the frame when the latch A is drawn back, so that the sashmay move freely and will not become bound by reason of expansion causedby moisture or atmospheric changes, and the springs 4 tend to push thelatch A in one direction and the sash-frame E in the opposite direction.Hence the opposite edge of the sashframe will be pressed into the grooveof the frame and rendered tight at that side, even though the sash maybeloosely fitted into the frame, and the springs pressing on the latchwill tend to throw the sash at said opposite edge outwardly against therabbet 8, especially under the jarring action to which the sash issubjectedin a car. When thelevers C D are pressed together and the latchA withdrawn, the sash is entirely free to be moved up or down withlittle or no friction.

If desired,the rack-plate may have small notches or grooves upon itsbeveled edge, as shown in Figs. L and 5, and the beveled end of thelatch be similarly channeled, as shown in Fig. 6, whereby the parts willinterlock and hold the sash at any desired point.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with the case B, of thelatch A, having inwardly-projccting horns 2, studs 3, and springs 4t,acting to project the latch, and the two curved or angular levers 0 D,pivoted at 5 and having heads that act against the horns 2 forwithdrawing the latch, substantially as set forth.

2. The latclrcase B, in combination with the latch A,havingabeveled endand the inwardly-projecting horns 2, the studs 3, and springs 4: forprojecting the latch, the two curved or angular levers C D, pivoted at 5and acting upon the horns 2 for withdrawing the latch, and therack-plate G, against which the beveled end of the latch acts forpressing the sash outwardly and tightening the same, substantially asset forth.

3. The window governing and supporting latch having an end that isbeveled in a vertical plane at an inclination to the window, incombination with the spring to project the latch, and a plate upon thesash-frame against which the latch acts to press the sash outwardly,substantially as specified.

4. The window governing and supporting latch having a beveled andchanneled end, in combination with a plate upon the sashframe, having anedge notched to correspond to the channels upon the beveled end of thelatch, substantially as specified. 1

Signed by me this 9th day of July, 1800.

JOHN C. HOWE. \Vitnesses:

GEO. T. PINCKNEY, WILLIAM G. Mo'r'r.

